The japanese revival

Japan took the first major step last Monday toward rewriting its post-World War II pacifist constitution, a top priority for the conservative premier as the country seeks to carve out a larger global role. Parliament approved a bill outlining procedures for a referendum on the first revision of the US-imposed 1947 text, which says Japan forever renounces the right to wage war. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an outspoken conservative and the first Japanese leader born after World War II, has made rewriting the constitution one of his top policy goals. He pledged to campaign on constitutional reform in nationwide elections in July for the upper house of parliament. “In the next upper house election, we want to tell the voters that the LDP has been working on a draft outline of a new constitution,” Abe said, referring to his Liberal Democratic Party. He thanked members of parliament, saying they had “proved to be responsible by approving the legislation.” Japan already has one of the world’s best-funded armed forces but calls them the “Self-Defense Forces.” Abe says Japan should have full-fledged forces to allow it to assume a greater global role, including participating in peacekeeping operations abroad. The bill, which says a new constitution needs to be approved by a majority of voters, passed the upper house on last Monday.

Japan took the first major step Monday toward rewriting its post-World War II paci- fist constitution, a top pri- ority for the conservative premier as the country seeks to carve out a larger global role. Parliament approved a bill outlining procedures for a referen- dum on the first revision of the US-imposed 1947 text, which says Japan forever renounces the right to wage war. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an outspoken conser- vative and the first Japan- ese leader born after World War II, has made rewriting the constitution one of his top policy goals. He pledged to campaign on constitutional reform in nationwide elections in July for the upper house of parliament. “In the next upper house election, we want to tell the voters that the LDP has been working on a draft outline of a new constitu- tion,” Abe said, referring to his Liberal Democratic Party. He thanked mem- bers of parliament, saying they had “proved to be responsible by approving the legislation.” Japan already has one of the world’s best-funded armed forces but calls them the “Self-Defence Forces.” Abe says Japan should have a full-fledged military to allow it to assume a greater global role, includ- ing participating in peace- keeping operations abroad and cooperation with the United States. The bill, which says a new constitu- tion needs to be approved by a majority of voters, passed the upper house on Monday.
The larger issues which are not really apparent in this innocuous move are the current status of civil control of the military which was lost, during the Meiji era, and permitted a personality domination of strategy as against an institutional direction. There are schools of thought which differ on institutional direction citing corruption and lack of operational knowledge as serious pitfalls, but as history will bear testimony every dictator military or civilian from Caesar to Stalin eventually produced nothing but mirages and untold brutality & human suffering. I therefore say and suggest that the conservative party [LDP] be put through the paces and made to reveal the complete intent and not piece meal popular measures which appeal to whipped up national ferver.